Pipes Magazine » General Pipe Smoking Discussion

1. 

   thorin
   

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   Hello!

   I just started smoking a pipe about two weeks ago because work is stressing me the heck out and pipe smoking seems awesome. I read up all about it to avoid as many beginner mistakes as I can. Things are going well so far and I love it, but I have a couple questions to which I cannot find quick answers. This seems like the place to go for that so here I am.

   I have to relight like 5-8 times in the course of a bowl. I feel like I am packing pretty light, just used gravity a couple of times, and I still have to relight all the time. I am definitely not puffing like mad cause it seems like that is a bad idea. Never had tongue bite and the bowl has never been too hot to hold.

   So my question is, "Is my tobacco too wet, do I need to draw harder, do I need to pack lighter, or is it some combination of all of these? OR! is 8 relights normal? Lastly, how do I know if I am smoking too hot? I feel like I could draw harder bt I don't want to ruin the flavor." That is like 5 questions...

   I am smoking a mild latakia blend called "outback" (sampler from P&C is in the mail). As far as I can tell it is straight latakia. I am alternating between two briar pipes about every other day. It's pretty humid where I am these days and the tobacco feels somewhat moist to the touch.

   Posted 9 months ago #
2. 

   unclearthur
   

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   You need to pack tightly enough to keep your ember going. Try drying your tobacco a bit and gently tamping as you smoke. Just let the weight of the tamper do the work.

   If at first you don't succeed you are running about average.

   Posted 9 months ago #
3. 

   markw4mms
   

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   As usual, great advice from Uncle Arthur! I couldn't have said it better myself!

   "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety."
   - Benjamin Franklin
   

   Posted 9 months ago #
4. 

   Anonymous
   

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   What Arthur said!

   Posted 9 months ago #
5. 

   thorin
   

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   Thanks for the quick response! Since I am totally new to this I am not quite sure what drying the tobacco a bit entails. Like how long should I leave it out for and what should it feel like when it has the right moisture content?

   Posted 9 months ago #
6. 

   Kevin Riner
   

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   My advice would be to carve out a few hours and read everything you can on this site. You'll figure it out. A lot of good info here for free.

   "A pipe gives a wise man time to think and a fool something to stick in his mouth." - C.S. Lewis

   Posted 9 months ago #
7. 

   octavius
   

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   I have only been smoking for a few years, and I definitely struggled a bit at first. Honestly, time and finding out what works for you is what really gets you to a point where each smoke is enjoyable. It is tricky! Good advice, like Arthur's above, will definitely help you along the way. Check out the "three step" method for loading your pipe, you can find videos on youtube demonstrating the steps of the method. That helped me a lot.

   Posted 9 months ago #
8. 

   unclearthur
   

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   For drying use the pinch method. When you pinch some of the tobacco it shouldn't stick together nor be tinder dry.

   Posted 9 months ago #
9. 

   OTD
   

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   And while your at it, don't be too hung up with re-lights.
   Most folks will put flame to a bowl more than a few times from start to finish. It's the way it is.
   The 1 match bowl is more an urban legend than the norm.

   Keep doing exactly what you are doing, namely, paying attention to how you load a given pipe with a given blend and in time the number of re-lights will become fewer.

   Snus, snuff and briar.
   Not much more required in a day.
   Brian from Oregon USA

   Posted 9 months ago #
10. 

    Lawrence
    

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    The 1 match bowl is more an urban legend than the norm.

    
    You're right Olderthandirt....
    It's two matches per bowl...

    Just kidding...

    Multiple lights are the norm.
    But, in a slow smoke competition or in a moment of quite reflection with a pipe... Char-true, and puff... puff... puff... ad infinitum.
    

    
    My Pipe Slide Show
    

    Posted 9 months ago #
11. 

    fullbent
    

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    Count me out on the slow smoke...I tend to smoke way to fast! I've become used to it and it's just the way I smoke.

    "If you can't sent money, send tobacco."
    -George Washington to the Continental Congress, 1776

    Posted 9 months ago #
12. 

    baronsamedi
    

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    I would experiment with different packing styles. There are several vids here on PM. Different pipe shapes favor different packing styles too. I like the Harry Method but it isn't as good for my meer because the bowl is so big I'd need a hand the size of a shovel, so I use the 3-Step Method most of the time.

    You want the pack to be a little tight, just not so stuffed, you can't get a draw.

    Plus I always do a "false light" then tamp then a real light. I'm never afraid to tamp if the draw gets too "free" or doesn't produce much smoke..

    I often still need a relight toward the bottom or even more than one depending on humidity and how much I slobber in my pipe.

    Hmm. Time to head up to "the Officer's Club" and contemplate this more thoroughly.

    BTW, I'm not a badass, I'm just socially awkward. – BillyZoom

    Posted 9 months ago #
13. 

    Anonymous
    

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    I had the same problem. Keep practicing, you want the tobacco in the bowl to be springy if you will, it just takes practice. There were times when I wanted to throw my pipe as far as I could and never look back. Glad I didn't.

    Posted 9 months ago #
14. 

    francois1
    

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    hi it takes time and practice as someone said read as much as you can i have started smoking a pipe again after
    30 years and have found the information that is on thes forms extremly helpfull maybee you should try a different tobacco as i think the brand you are smoking as a biginner is to damp i find latitkia rather damp and
    now seem to lean tothe peterson brands i avoid irish oak as it has to much n in it
    just give it time and you will learn the pleasure of pipe smoking
    david(scotland)

    Posted 9 months ago #
15. 

    francois1
    

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    look up on the net PIPE SMOKING TIPS there is a huge amount of advice i found it very usefull
    david(SCOTLAND)

    Posted 9 months ago #
16. 

    loneredtree
    

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    You asked about drying the tobac.

    You can spread out enough for a bowl on the counter. The time to leave it will vary from minutes to hours depending on the tobacco and humidity etc. Test it as per Uncle's post.

    

    There is a charm about the forbidden that makes it unspeakably desirable. Mark Twain
    
    “Very few people are focusing on the potential damage this ill-conceived and hastily assembled homage to the ability of bureaucrats to conceive of all manner of problems where problems don't exist then apply solutions to those problems that only create new problems without solving the original problems at all will bring to many sectors.

    Posted 9 months ago #
17. 

    antipodesman
    

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    If you don't mind the re-lights, you may be getting more flavour than most pipe smokers who light once or twice. Its a good thing to have a cool pipe.

    Posted 9 months ago #

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